Turkey's main opposition leader says Syria needs to respond democratic demands

ANKARA (A.A) - February 8, 2012 - Head of Turkey's main opposition party has said the Syrian leadership should meet Syrian people's demands for democracy and freedom, adding that oppressive regime could not survive. "Syrian people's demand for democracy and freedom should be met. It has been seen that oppressive regimes cannot live long in the 21st century," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, chairman of the Republican People's Party, or CHP, told the Anadolu Agency in an interview. Kilicdaroglu said Syria had to transform itself into a regime free of oppression based on democracy, freedom, gender equality and human rights.     "Turkey could have taken a series of very important steps for the democratization of Syria but it failed. Turkey could have stood side by side with our neighbor and made valuable contributions for Syria's democratization, for freedoms and for legal reforms," Kilicdaroglu said.